Improvement in knitting-machines



PUDDER & T. w. H'U LBERT.

Wprovemnf in Knitfing-Machines.

N0. 115,983. Patented June"l31871.

Fig.8i

./% WI WM INVEN'I'QBS UNITED STA'IES PATENTQFFICE HENRY PUDDER, OE DAYTON, KENTUCKY, AND THOMAS W. HULBERT, OB

CINGINNATI, 01.110. T

IMPROVEMENT IN KNlTTlNG-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Pai:eht N0. 115,983, dutedJune 13, 1871.

WG,HENRY PUDDER, of Dayton, in the .county of Campbell and State 0f Kentucky, a11d THOMAS W. HULBERT, of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton a-nd State of Ohio, have invented certain Improvements in Kn'it-' tin'g-Maehines, of 'which the following is a specifieation Natura anal Obiects of tlw Invention.

This invention relates t0 that dass of implements commonlyknown as the Lamb knitting-machine and our improveinent 0011- sists in an arrangement 0f devices whereby the projections 01 shanks ab the lower ends of the needles a re capable of being depressed bel0w the face of the bed-plate, a1; the option of the knitter, so as 130 prevent them engaging With the actuating cam of the carriage whenever it iss desired. fidrender any needle inoperative without casting the stitch, and. without drawing the needle down fromits proper place in ehe bed.

Descritz'on 0f tfie Acqompahyz'ng Drawing.

Geneial Descrvlptz'on.

A represents the bed-plate 0f a knittingmachine, and B is a carriage, which has the customary reeiprocating movements longitudinally of said bed-plat-e. Attached 130 the ends of the bed-plate A are spring cat ches CO, whose upper extremities are notehed ab 0 c,

to permib the engagement therewith of a stud,.

D, wh ich projects downwardlyfrom the yarn g*uide-arm E. The shank d of this stud traverses a s1ot, f, in the frame F, which supports the tension devices 0f the machine. The frame F is secured to the carriage B by screws b. G

is the holt with which the arm E is pivoted t0 the frax'nel The bed-plate A is provided with slots or channels a, somewhat deeper than cust0mary, f01" the reception of follovnrs, hereafter described, and for the 'needles H, whose lower ends have the usual upturned projections 0x. shanks h. I are gibs, which, spanning all of the slots a, preveflt aecidental displaeement of the needles. In order t0 elevate the needles so as 1:0 cause their shanks 150 engage with the actuating 02m1, 01' t0 depress them so as 130 render them imperative, a1; the wil1 0f the knitter, I provide the following de viees: Eaehof the slots a is furnished with:a. follower, K, havin g an inclined. 01 wedgeshaped immer end, L, two shoulders, k k, and a recurved spring ortion, M. 'Ihe portion L serVes t0 elevate the needle whenever the follower is shoved into th'e slots, the shoulders k 7c 1imit the movements 0f said follower, .and the spring portion M, by pressing against the und6r side ofthe bed-plate, prevents accidental retraction 0f the follower. Extending longitudinally 0f the bed-plate A is a groove, N, which is designed f01 the receptio''of one or more pins, 0 O, and when the needles are de- -pressed, and the pin O 01 O slipped. into said groove, as shown in Fig. 5, any improper elevation of tl1e needle by the. weight: 0f the work 01 other cause is prevented. '.I.he machine is provided with tw0 customary lateh-openers,

P, of which only one is shown in the drawing. A spring, Q, introduced between the take-up stand F and the arm E 0f the yarn-guide, holds the latter 130 ifis proper p1ace until shifted by engagement of stud D with one of the spring catches G 0r C.

Operation.

of catch C, until saidstud impings against, the end. of slot f, when the movement 0f the stud. is arrested. and the catch is disengeyged therefrom. Upo n the completion ofthe natura stroke of the carriage the other catch O engages With the stud, and when the earriage is again moved in the direction indicated by the arrow said stud is restored to its original position, as shown in Fig. l. It will thus be seen that the clutohes U O serve to throw the yarn-guide arm at every stroke of the carriage with a positive anal unfaiiing movement, aud there is 110 danger whatever of said arm not acting ab the proper moment, as is frequently the oase when it is operated by the ordinary friction deviee which is employed for that purpose. The arrangement of devices for depressin g the needles also adds greatly to the utility of this dass of machines, as any number of =xeedles oan instantly be rendered imperative by simply withdrawing their respective followers, aud needlos situated at any part of the bed-plate czu1 be thrown in gear with the operang ozun in a moment by simpiy pushing up the foiiowers.

In machines heretofore used, whenever it becomes desirabie to remove a needle thzrt may hawe been broken or worn, it; is necessary to loosen the carriuge by unscrewing the caps whioh hold it down, am]. by driving t-l1e gib part of ehe needle to be removed, iuvolving considemble time and labor and some mechanical skiil. The present improvement enables the operator to instantly remove aneedle from the needle-bed without det-aching ehe carriage or disturbing the gibs.

These improvements enable the operator to form a gore o1 wedge in auy pmt of a tubulzrr web, toturn the heol of a stocking completely,

o1 to form a glove with fingers, &c. Complet0, because by this mezms any needle may be rendered temporarily imperative without ansting its stitch.

\Ve reserve the right 130 vary or modify the above devices, so long as we attain the saure results, b v means substantially equivalenc; for example, a shorter and shallower follower may be provided with a spring above or below it, so as to dispense with a shouider, und. to ena-ble ehe useof a shallower groove o1 the follower mav be replaced by a piute or rest underneath the needle, elevated by a wedge, by a setsorew, or by a sprin u Olaim.

VVe ciaim as our invention The combina-tion, in u knitting-machine, of the need1es, needle-bed, and followers, 00mstruoted substzmti-aily as described, so as to enabie the operator t0 lower any one or more needles in their plaee in the bed beyond the reaoh of the czun, so that they shall eease t0 operate withou.t casting the stitch from che needles or disturbing their longitudinal position.

In testimony of Which imontion WC herumto sei: our hands.

HENRY PUDDER.

- THOS. V. HULBERT.

\Vitnessesz G120. H. KNIGIIT, JAMES H. LAYMAN. 

